Sensor device

ABSTRACT

A multi-sensor device may perform an optical measurement using an optical sensor of the multi-sensor device, where the optical measurement is performed when a surface of the multi-sensor device is in contact with a human body. The multi-sensor device may perform another measurement using at least one other sensor of the multi-sensor device, where the other measurement is performed when the surface of the multi-sensor device is in contact with the human body, where the other measurement is performed substantially contemporaneously with the optical measurement, and where the optical measurement and the other measurement relate to health parameters. The multi-sensor device may determine a combined measurement value based on the optical measurement and the other measurement.

BACKGROUND

A sensor device may perform measurements for various purposes. Forexample, an optical sensor may include an illuminator to provide lightand a detector to detect the light. The optical sensor may determine ameasurement based on characteristics of the light after the lightinteracts with a target. One example of such a target is the human body,for which an optical sensor may be used to determine health-relatedmeasurements.

SUMMARY

According to some implementations, a device may include an opticalsensor, wherein the optical sensor is to perform an optical measurementwhen a surface of the device is in contact with a human body. The devicemay include a plurality of electrical probes provided in a housing or abarrier of the optical sensor, wherein the device is to perform anelectrical measurement using the plurality of electrical probes when thesurface of the device is in contact with the human body, wherein theelectrical measurement is to be performed substantiallycontemporaneously with the optical measurement, and wherein the deviceis a handheld or wearable device.

According to some implementations, a handheld or wearable sensor devicemay include an optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor is to performan optical health-related measurement when a surface of the handheld orwearable sensor device is in contact with a human body. The handheld orwearable sensor device may include at least one other sensor provided ina barrier or housing of the optical sensor, wherein the at least oneother sensor is to perform another health-related measurement,substantially contemporaneously with the optical health-relatedmeasurement or with a known time offset from the optical health-relatedmeasurement, when the surface of the handheld or wearable sensor deviceis in contact with the human body.

According to some implementations, a method may be performed by amulti-sensor device and may include performing an optical measurementusing an optical sensor of the multi-sensor device, wherein the opticalmeasurement is performed when a surface of the multi-sensor device is incontact with a human body. The method may include performing anothermeasurement using at least one other sensor of the multi-sensor device,wherein the other measurement is performed when the surface of themulti-sensor device is in contact with the human body, wherein the othermeasurement is performed substantially contemporaneously with theoptical measurement, and wherein the optical measurement and the othermeasurement relate to health parameters. The method may includedetermining a combined measurement value based on the opticalmeasurement and the other measurement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-4 are diagrams of example implementations of a multi-sensordevice described herein.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example environment in which systems and/ormethods, described herein, may be implemented.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of example components of one or more devices of FIG.5.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example process for determining a combinedmeasurement value using a multi-sensor device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of example implementations refers tothe accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in differentdrawings may identify the same or similar elements.

An optical sensor may be used to determine an optical measurement. Insome implementations, an optical sensor may be used to determinehealth-related measurements for a target. For example, a device (e.g., ahandheld or portable device, a non-portable device, etc.) may include anoptical sensor to determine health-related measurements or healthparameters for a human body, such as heartbeat, blood pressure, orrespiration rate. As used herein, a health parameter may be synonymouswith a health-related measurement. However, a single optical sensor mayonly be able to perform a limited set of measurements, such asmeasurements that are based on optical features of the target. Forexample, some measurements may be difficult or impossible to performoptically, such as an electrical measurement, a pressure-basedmeasurement, and/or the like.

Various combinations of measurements may be useful for health-relatedpurposes. For example, it may be useful from a research perspective, adiagnosis perspective, a health monitoring perspective, and/or the like,to determine multiple measurements at a particular time and/or for aparticular measurement target so that the multiple measurements arecorrelated with each other. As non-exhaustive examples: it may be usefulto determine a blood glucose measurement that is correlated with anothermeasurement (e.g., an optical measurement, such as heartbeat, bloodpressure, respiration rate, etc.), or to determine a skin hydration orresistivity measurement that is correlated with another measurement(e.g., an optical measurement). These combinations of measurements maybe particularly useful when correlation between the measurements isstrong, such as when the measurements are obtained at substantially thesame time and based on measuring substantially the same part of atarget. It may be difficult or impossible to achieve satisfactorycorrelation levels when using multiple, separate sensor devices todetermine the measurements. For example, when two measurements aredetermined by different sensor devices, the time relationship betweenthe measurements may not be known at a sufficient level of precision todetermine a correlation to a level required by an application, or thetwo measurements may be performed too far apart in time to determine acorrelation to a level required by an application. As another example,when using two or more sensor devices, it may be difficult to ensurethat a first measurement is performed with regard to the same part of atarget as a second measurement, since a first sensor device must beremoved from the target and a second, separate, sensor device must beplaced on the target in the same location. This may cause imprecision,delay, and human error when determining combined measurements.

Some implementations described herein may provide a multi-sensor devicethat includes multiple, different sensors. For example, the multi-sensordevice may include an optical sensor and another sensor. The othersensor may be provided in a housing or a barrier of the optical sensor.For example, the optical sensor may have a barrier to block anilluminator's light from being directly incident on a detector of theoptical sensor, and may be at least partially enclosed in a housing. Bybeing located in the barrier or the housing, the other sensor may be incontact with a target (e.g., a human body) at substantially the sametime (or slightly before/after) and in substantially the same locationas the optical sensor without using substantially more space orincreasing the size of the sensor device in comparison to a device thatincludes only the optical sensor.

In this way, a combined measurement value may be determined bycontemporaneously performing a first measurement using the opticalsensor and a second measurement using the other sensor.“Contemporaneously” is defined in more detail elsewhere herein. In somecases, the optical sensor and the other sensor may be different types ofsensors, which may enable the determination of combined measurementvalues that would not be possible or feasible using a single opticalsensor. As just one example, the other sensor may be a temperaturesensor, which may enable the determination of a plurality of vital signs(e.g., heartbeat, blood pressure, respiration rate, and bodytemperature) without successively applying different sensor devices tothe human body. In some implementations, the other sensor may include,for example, a temperature sensor, an electrical sensor, a magneticsensor, a microbolometer, a barometric sensor, an elasticity sensor, apressure sensor, or another optical sensor (e.g., associated with adifferent detector material, a different size, etc.).

In this way, contemporaneous performance of multiple, differentmeasurements on substantially the same part of a target is provided.This enables determination of combined measurement values at a higherlevel of accuracy or confidence (e.g., with a more robust correlationeffect) than if the two sensors were applied to different regions of thetarget (e.g., spatially separated regions) or if the measurements wereperformed at different times (e.g., not contemporaneously, without aknown or configured time offset, without a time offset that satisfies athreshold, etc.). For example, it may be difficult to determine acombined measurement using two separate sensor devices, since a user maynot be capable of reliably aligning the two sensor devices on the samepart of the target, and since the delay between the first measurementand the second measurement may reduce or eliminate useful correlationbetween the two measurements. Thus, correlation to a level required by aparticular application may be achieved.

The multi-sensor device may have a single bus system, processor,electrical input/output structure, and/or the like, that can process afirst measurement and a second measurement to determine the combinedmeasurement while preserving the correlation between the firstmeasurement and the second measurement (e.g., without introducinguncertainty regarding measurement times or locations), thus reducingmanufacturing costs. Furthermore, utilizing previously unused areas ofthe multi-sensor device (e.g., the housing and/or the barrier) foradditional sensors provides increased sensing capability within acompact size and further reducing costs relative to using multiple,different sensor devices or sensor packages.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an overview of an example implementation 100 of amulti-sensor device described herein. As shown, the multi-sensor deviceincludes an illuminator 110, an optical detector 120, a housing 130, abarrier 140, and/or other sensors 150, 160-1, 160-2, 160-3, and/or160-4. Each is described in turn below. In some implementations, themulti-sensor device may be provided in a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch, an armband, an adhesive patch, a clip-on fingertip device, etc.),a handheld device (e.g., a measurement device, a wand, etc.), asmartphone, a tablet, a user device, a desktop, a laptop, a home healthstation, and/or the like.

An optical sensor of the multi-sensor device may include one or more ofilluminator 110, optical detector 120, housing 130, and/or barrier 140.Illuminator 110 includes a light source, such as a light emitting diode,a tungsten filament lamp, and/or the like. Illuminator 110 may providelight for an optical measurement to be performed using optical detector120. For example, when a surface of the multi-sensor device is incontact with a target (e.g., a human body), the light provided byilluminator 110 may reflect from and/or transit through the target tooptical detector 120. In some implementations, the light may transmit tooptical detector 120 through a window, such as a window aperture of theoptical sensor. In some implementations, the window may be providedparallel to a surface of the device that is to contact the target. InFIG. 1, the surface that is to contact the target is parallel to theplane of the page of FIG. 1 (i.e., is facing the reader). In FIGS. 2 and3, described in more detail below, the surface that is to contact thetarget is perpendicular to the planes of the pages of FIGS. 2 and 3.

Optical detector 120 may include a photodetector, a photosensor, animaging sensor, an image sensor, an imager, a semiconductorcharge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, a complimentarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, and/or the like. In someimplementations, optical detector 120 may be associated with a singlewavelength. In some implementations, optical detector 120 may beassociated with multiple wavelengths (e.g., may be a multispectraloptical detector). In some implementations, optical detector 120 mayinclude or be associated with a filter, such as a filter for a singlewavelength or for multiple, different wavelengths. For example, thefilter may filter light from the target to a particular wavelength orwavelength range to enable measurement of the particular wavelength orwavelength range. In some implementations, the filter may includemultiple, different regions so that different measurements can beperformed using optical detector 120.

In some implementations, the optical sensor may determine an image-basedmeasurement or an image using optical detector 120. In such a case, themulti-sensor device may use an image, determined by optical detector120, to configure, align, and/or perform a measurement using anothersensor, as described in more detail below.

The optical sensor may determine a measurement using optical detector120. For example, the multi-sensor device or a control device associatedwith the multi-sensor device may determine a measurement value based onan electrical signal generated by one or more pixels of optical detector120. The one or more pixels may be associated with (e.g., included in,identified by) a region of interest. In some implementations, theoptical sensor (e.g., the multi-sensor device or the control device) maydetermine multiple, different measurement values (e.g., using multiplesets of pixels of optical detector 120). For example, the optical sensormay determine multiple, different measurement values for respectiveregions of interest. Thus, optical detector 120 may perform multiple,different measurements using a single optical sensor.

Housing 130 provides a physical shell (e.g., enclosure, wall, sensorpackage, etc.) that at least partially encloses illuminator 110 and/oroptical detector 120. Housing 130 may be composed of any suitablematerial, such as a polymer and/or the like. Barrier 140 may be providedbetween illuminator 110 and optical detector 120. Barrier 140 may absorblight from illuminator 110 that is not incident on the target, in orderto prevent unwanted light from reaching optical detector 120 and causingnoise in a measurement performed by the optical sensor. In someimplementations, barrier 140 may be a part of housing 130. In someimplementations, the multi-sensor device may not include a barrier. Insome implementations, barrier 140 may extend from housing 130 to thesurface of the multi-sensor device. In some implementations, barrier 140may partially extend from housing 130 to the surface (e.g., may stopshort of the surface).

As shown, in some implementations, one or more other sensors 150 may beprovided in barrier 140. Here, other sensor 150 is providedapproximately in a center of barrier 140, although other sensor 150 maybe provided in any location in barrier 140. Other sensor 150 may includeany sensor described herein other than optical detector 120. Othersensor 150 may be provided on or in a surface of the multi-sensor deviceso that other sensor 150 is in contact with a target when the surface ofthe multi-sensor device is in contact with the target. Thus,contemporaneous measurement using the optical sensor and other sensor150 is enabled. In some implementations, other sensor 150 may beprovided within barrier 140 (e.g., with a light pipe or other device toenable measurement of the target), as described in more detail elsewhereherein.

As shown, in some implementations, one or more other sensors 160 may beprovided in housing 130. Here, other sensors 160 are provided at cornersof housing 130, although other sensor 160 can be provided at anylocation in housing 130. Other sensor 160 may include any sensordescribed herein other than optical detector 120. Other sensor 160 maybe provided at a surface of the multi-sensor device so that other sensor160 is in contact with a target when the surface of the multi-sensordevice is in contact with the target. In some implementations, othersensor 160 may be provided within housing 130 (e.g., with a light pipeor another device to enable measurement of the target). Thus,contemporaneous measurement using the optical sensor and other sensor160 is enabled.

In some aspects, other sensor 150 and/or other sensor 160 (collectivelyreferred to herein as other sensor 150/160) may include one or moreelectrical probes. For example, an electrical probe may be used todetermine an electrical measurement such as a resistance measurement, aresistivity measurement, a hydration measurement, a conductivitymeasurement, and/or the like. In such a case, other sensor 150/160 mayinclude at least one electrical probe to provide an electrical signaland at least one electrical probe (e.g., a sensor, a readout pad, anonboard electronic system, etc.) to determine a measurement based on theelectrical signal. In some aspects, other sensor 150/160 may include atleast two electrical probes, which may be located at different locationson or in the surface of the multi-sensor device. In this way, themulti-sensor device may determine measurements using differentcombinations of the electrical probes, which may provide improvedmeasurement accuracy and flexibility in comparison to performing themeasurement using a single electrical probe. For example, themulti-sensor device may determine a first resistance measurement using afirst pair of electrical probes, and may determine a second resistancemeasurement using a second pair of electrical probes, wherein the firstpair of electrical probes is different than the second pair ofelectrical probes.

In some aspects, other sensor 150/160 may include one or moretemperature sensors (e.g., a thermocouple, a resistance temperaturedetector, a thermistor, a thermopile, etc.). In this case, other sensor150/160 may be used in conjunction with the optical sensor to provide avital signs measurement set, wherein the vital signs measurement set isdefined as the physiologic heartbeat, blood pressure, respiration rate,and body temperature of the target. For example, heartbeat, bloodpressure, and respiration rate may be measured using the optical sensor(e.g., through analysis of the photoplethysmograph). By combiningheartbeat, blood pressure, and respiration rate measurement values witha body temperature measurement determined using other sensor 150/160 todetermine a combined measurement value, the multi-sensor device maydetermine a more complete and accurate vital signs measurement, sincethe combined measurement value may be more accurate than a vital signsmeasurement value that is determined using sensors that are in contactwith the target at different times and/or in different locations.

In some implementations, other sensor 150/160 may include a secondoptical sensor. For example, the optical sensor (e.g., the opticalsensor that includes illuminator 110 and optical detector 120) may be afirst optical sensor and other sensor 150/160 may be a second opticalsensor. In some implementations, the first optical sensor and the secondoptical sensor may use the same illuminator (e.g., illuminator 110)which may reduce cost and package size in comparison to using separateilluminators. In some implementations, the first optical sensor and thesecond optical sensor may use different illuminators, which may provideincreased flexibility with regard to possible combinations ofmeasurements to be performed by the first optical sensor and the secondoptical sensor since the different illuminators can provide differentwavelengths or intensities of light.

In some implementations, the first optical sensor may be associated witha first optical detector (e.g., optical detector 120) and the secondoptical sensor may be associated with a second optical detector. In someimplementations, the first optical detector may be a different sizeand/or fabricated of a different material than the second opticaldetector. For example, the first optical detector may be larger than thesecond optical detector. As another example, the first optical detectormay be fabricated of a first material and the second optical detectormay be fabricated of a second material that is more expensive than thefirst material. In this case, the second optical detector may be smallerthan the first optical sensor (e.g., approximately 8 microns wide,approximately 10 microns wide, etc.), which may reduce cost associatedwith using the more expensive material. In some implementations, thefirst material may be silicon. In some implementations, the secondmaterial may be a different material than the first material, such as aphosphide (e.g., InP, GaP, AlP, AlInGaP, etc.) and/or the like.Furthermore, when the first optical detector and the second opticaldetector are fabricated from different materials, a wider range ofmeasurements may be performed than when both optical detectors arefabricated from the same material. For example, a material associatedwith a first spectral range (e.g., a range of approximately 400 nm to1100 nm) may be used for the first optical detector, and a materialassociated with a second spectral range (e.g., a range with a lowerbound greater than approximately 2500 nm) may be used for the secondoptical detector. In this case, the smaller size of the second opticaldetector may reduce cost of the multi-sensor device while providingmeasurement capability in the second spectral range. This may beparticularly useful, for example, for blood sugar or glucosemeasurements, which can be measured more accurately in the >2500 nmrange than in the 400-1100 nm range.

In some implementations, other sensor 150/160 may comprise a magneticsensor, a barometric sensor, an elasticity sensor (e.g., a pressuresensor, a stress sensor, a strain sensor, and/or the like), amicrobolometer, and/or the like. Such a sensor may provide for thecontemporaneous determination of non-optical measurements and opticalmeasurements. For example, optical measurements may not be capable ofaccurately measuring some parameters, due to lack of an optical signalrelating to such a parameter and/or due to complex confounding of thesignal in the optical measurement pathway. Other sensor 150/160 mayprovide for the contemporaneous measurement of such parameters usingnon-optical measurements, thereby improving the versatility of themulti-sensor device.

In some implementations, other sensor 150/160 may include multiplesensors of different types. In this case, multiple measurements ofdifferent types may be obtained substantially contemporaneously and/orwith regard to the same contact area of the target. Thus, combinedmeasurement values may be determined using the optical sensor and theother sensors 150/160, which may not be possible or feasible when thesensors are provided in different packages.

In some implementations, the optical sensor may perform a measurementbased on other sensor 150/160 or based on a measurement of other sensor150/160. For example, other sensor 150/160 may include a set ofelectrical probes. In such a case, the optical sensor may perform ameasurement based on a resistance or conductivity measurement determinedby the set of electrical probes. For example, the optical sensor mayperform the measurement when the resistance or conductivity measurementindicates that the optical sensor is in contact with the target (e.g.,when the resistance or conductivity measurement satisfies a threshold).In some implementations, other sensor 150/160 may perform a measurementbased on the optical sensor or based on a measurement of the opticalsensors. For example, other sensor 150/160 may perform a measurementwhen the optical sensor indicates that the multi-sensor device is incontact with the target. As another example, the optical sensor may beused to determine a region of interest for a measurement or to alignother sensor 150/160 to perform a measurement, as described in moredetail below in connection with FIG. 3.

In some cases, the optical sensor and the other sensor 150/160 aredescribed herein as performing measurements contemporaneously orsubstantially contemporaneously. In some implementations,“contemporaneously” may refer to two measurements being performedsimultaneously or substantially simultaneously. In some implementations,“contemporaneously” may refer to two measurements being performed with abrief (e.g., less than two seconds) time offset. For example, themulti-sensor device may be associated with a sampling rate, which may bedefined in samples per second (sps). The multi-sensor device maydetermine measurements in accordance with the sampling rate, bydetermining sensor data on sampling events at the sampling rate. Twomeasurements may be said to be performed contemporaneously when the twomeasurements are performed on the same sampling event or within aparticular number of sampling events of each other (e.g., within twosampling events, five sampling events, etc.). The particular number ofsampling events divided by the sampling rate may be equal to the timeoffset.

When the measurements are performed contemporaneously, the multi-sensordevice may correlate the measurements with each other more effectivelythan when the measurements are performed non-contemporaneously (e.g.,using different sensor devices, at different times, for differentregions of the target, etc.). In other words, it may be more difficultto correlate measurements performed by different sensor devicesnon-contemporaneously than it is to correlate measurements performedcontemporaneously by a single sensor device (e.g., based on thedifferent sensor devices possibly being misaligned in time, beingassociated with different sampling rates, being in contact withdifferent parts of the target, etc.). Thus, more accurate correlativedata capture may be performed using the implementations described hereinthan when non-contemporaneous measurement is performed.

In some implementations, the multi-sensor device may have a thickness ofapproximately 3 mm or in a range of approximately 1 mm to 5 mm, and across-sectional size of approximately 5 mm by approximately 8 mm. Insome implementations, optical detector 120 may have a size ofapproximately 3 mm by approximately 3 mm or in a range of approximately1 mm×1 mm to approximately 5 mm×5 mm. In some implementations,illuminator 110 may be placed in a range of approximately 3 mm to 5 mmfrom optical detector 120. In some implementations, the housing 130and/or the barrier 140 may have a thickness in a range of approximately0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

As indicated above, FIG. 1 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with regard to FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an overview of an example implementation 200described herein. As shown in FIG. 2, implementation 200 includes amulti-sensor device with an illuminator 110, an optical detector 120, ahousing 130, a barrier 140, and one or more other sensors 160 providedon a surface of the multi-sensor device. In some implementations, themulti-sensor device may include one or more other sensors 150 (e.g.,provided in the barrier 140) in addition to the one or more othersensors 160 or instead of the one or more other sensors 160. As shown, asurface of the multi-sensor device is in contact with a target. Here,the target is a human body. For example, the multi-sensor device may bein contact with a skin layer of the target or an internal surface of thetarget (e.g., an internal organ, a mouth, a sinus, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 2, and by reference number 210, the multi-sensor devicemay determine a first measurement using an optical sensor of themulti-sensor device (e.g., illuminator 110 and optical detector 120). Insome implementations, a first measurement may include a health-relatedmeasurement or a health parameter. As used herein, a health-relatedmeasurement may be any measurement related to the human body that can bedetermined using one or more of the sensors described herein (e.g., aheartbeat measurement, a respiration rate measurement, a blood pressuremeasurement, a temperature measurement, a pressure measurement, aconductivity measurement, a hydration measurement, etc.). However, theimplementations described herein are not limited to those in which themulti-sensor device captures health-related measurements. For example,one or more sensors of the multi-sensor device may be used to determinea measurement other than a health-related measurement, such as ameasurement to determine when another measurement is to be performed, animaging operation to identify a region of interest, and/or the like.

As shown by reference number 220, the multi-sensor device may determinea second measurement using the other sensor (e.g., other sensors 160).The second measurement may be a resistance measurement determined usingother sensors 160, although any other measurement capable of beingperformed by the other sensors 150/160 may be performed as the secondmeasurement. For example, the second measurement may include anyhealth-related measurement or a different type of measurement (e.g., ameasurement to determine that an optical measurement should beperformed, etc.).

In some implementations, the multi-sensor device may determine thesecond measurement contemporaneously with the first measurement. Forexample, the multi-sensor device may determine the second measurementsubstantially simultaneously with the determination of the firstmeasurement, or with a known offset (e.g., time offset, number ofsampling events, etc.) from the first measurement. In someimplementations, the multi-sensor device may determine the firstmeasurement and the second measurement with regard to the same area ofthe target. For example, the multi-sensor device may determine thesecond measurement without moving (or being moved) relative to thetarget before or after determining the first measurement. Thus,correlation of the first measurement and the second measurement isimproved relative to cases in which the first measurement and the secondmeasurement might be determined using different sensor devices, atsubstantially different times, with regard to different locations of thetarget, and/or the like.

As shown by reference number 230, the multi-sensor device may determinea combined measurement value using the first measurement and the secondmeasurement. In some implementations, a combined measurement value mayinclude a combination of a first measurement value determined by theoptical sensor and a second measurement value determined by the othersensor 150/160. For example, in the case wherein the other sensor150/160 includes a set of electrical probes, the combined measurementvalue may identify hydration values in relation to an opticalmeasurement (e.g., a blood pressure measurement, a heartbeatmeasurement, or a respiration rate measurement). As another example, inthe case wherein the other sensor 150/160 includes a second opticalsensor associated with a longer wavelength than the first opticalsensor, the combined measurement may identify blood glucose levels inrelation to a lower-wavelength optical measurement, such as a bloodpressure measurement, a heartbeat measurement, or a respiration ratemeasurement.

Accurate combined measurement values using two or more different sensordevices are difficult to obtain. For example, uncertainty regardingparticular times at which measurements are performed, locations at whichthe measurements are performed, and/or the like, may lead tounacceptable uncertainty in correlation between the measurements. Byperforming the measurements using a multi-sensor device with collocatedsensors that perform the measurements in a contemporaneous fashion,uncertainty in the correlation between the measurements is reduced oreliminated. For example, the multi-sensor device may have a single bussystem, processor, electrical input/output structure, and/or the like,that can process the first measurement and the second measurement todetermine the combined measurement while preserving the correlationbetween the first measurement and the second measurement (e.g., withoutintroducing uncertainty regarding measurement times or locations). Thus,measurements may be combined in ways that are difficult or impossiblewhen performed with two or more different sensor devices.

As indicated above, FIG. 2 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with regard to FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an overview of an example implementation 300described herein. FIG. 3 shows an example of identifying a region ofinterest for a measurement using an optical sensor of a multi-sensordevice. The region of interest is located in or on the target, and isrepresented by the irregular shape shown by reference number 310. Theregion of interest may be a feature of the target, a particular layer ofthe target, an object included in the target (e.g., a tumor, a cyst, ablood vessel, etc.), and/or the like. In some implementations, theregion of interest may be identifiable using the optical sensor (e.g.,an imaging function of the optical sensor or a spectral or multispectralsensing function of the optical sensor).

As shown by reference number 320, the multi-sensor device may identifythe region of interest using the optical sensor (e.g., the illuminator110 and/or the optical detector 120). As shown by reference number 330,the multi-sensor device may indicate a location for a second measurementwithin the region of interest, shown by reference number 340. The secondmeasurement may be a measurement to be performed by other sensor 160and/or other sensor 150 (not shown).

In some implementations, the multi-sensor device may provide informationindicating the location for the second measurement. For example, themulti-sensor device, and/or a control device associated with themulti-sensor device, may provide, for display, a user interface. Theuser interface may identify the location for the second measurement withregard to the region of interest. For example, the user interface mayindicate the location of the second measurement (shown here using acrosshair), which may permit a user to align the second measurement tobe performed with regard to the region of interest or a desired portionof the region of interest.

In some implementations, the multi-sensor device may indicate thelocation of the second measurement based on a path of the secondmeasurement, shown by reference number 350. For example, the path of thesecond measurement may be associated with a particular spatialrelationship with the optical sensor (e.g., a particular angular offset,a particular depth in the target, a particular length of the path, aparticular size of a measurement area, etc.). The multi-sensor devicemay determine the location of the second measurement based on theparticular spatial relationship. Thus, the optical sensor may be used toalign or perform the second measurement using the other sensor, whichimproves accuracy and versatility of the second measurement.

In some implementations, the optical sensor may be associated with awavelength that at least partially penetrates the target. For example,and as shown in FIG. 3, in some cases, the region of interest may belocated below a surface of the target. In this case, the optical sensormay be associated with a wavelength that penetrates to the region ofinterest. Thus, the optical sensor may be used for subsurface alignmentof the second measurement with a region of interest that may not bevisible at the surface of the target. This may be particularly usefulfor measurements that are to be performed on a small or irregularlyshaped subsurface region of interest, such as a blood vessel or a smallirregularity.

The example shown in FIG. 3 relates to an implementation wherein a userinterface is provided to indicate the location of the secondmeasurement. In some implementations, the multi-sensor device mayautomatically determine the location of the second measurement. Forexample, the multi-sensor device may use the optical measurement todetermine a location of the region of interest, and may perform thesecond measurement with regard to the region of interest. As anotherexample, the multi-sensor device may identify the region of interestbased on the optical measurement (e.g., based on an optical response ofthe optical detector 120, based on an optical response of pixels of theoptical detector 120 that are in the region of interest in comparison toan optical response of pixels of the optical detector 120 for anotherregion, etc.), and may automatically perform the second measurement withregard to the region of interest. Thus, the optical detector may be usedto identify a region of interest and automatically perform a secondmeasurement with regard to the region of interest, which may improveaccuracy and reduce delay in performing the second measurement incomparison to performing the second measurement based on human input,thereby improving correlation of the optical measurement and the secondmeasurement.

As indicated above, FIG. 3 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with regard to FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an overview of an example implementation 400described herein. FIG. 4 shows an example implementation of amulti-sensor device with a first optical sensor and a second opticalsensor. As shown, the multi-sensor device may include an illuminator 410(e.g., illuminator 110), a first optical detector 420 (e.g., opticaldetector 120), a second optical detector 430, and a light pipe 440.Second optical detector 430 may include an imaging sensor (e.g., asemiconductor charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, a complimentarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, and/or the like).

In some implementations, first optical detector 420 may be composed of afirst material and second optical detector 430 may be composed of asecond material. For example, the first material may be different thanthe second material. In some implementations, the first material may beless expensive and/or easier to fabricate than the second material. Forexample, the first material may be silicon and the second material maybe another material. In some implementations, first optical detector 420may be larger than second optical detector 430. For example, firstoptical detector 420 may include more pixels than second opticaldetector 430, may have a larger cross-sectional area than second opticaldetector 430, and/or the like. As another example, second opticaldetector 430 may be approximately 8 microns in width, approximately 10microns in width, and/or the like. In such a case, and when the twooptical detectors are composed of different materials, cost savings maybe achieved in comparison to having two optical detectors of equal size,while still providing the increased flexibility and sensing range ofsecond optical detector 430.

In some implementations, first optical detector 420 may be associatedwith a first spectral range and second optical detector 430 may beassociated with a second spectral range different than the firstspectral range. For example, second optical detector 430 may perform ameasurement that is associated with an optical effect outside the firstspectral range, thus increasing the versatility of the multi-sensordevice while reducing cost in comparison to having two equally-sizedoptical detectors in the multi-sensor device.

Light pipe 440 may include an optical device to transmit light from thesurface of the multi-sensor device to second optical detector 430. Forexample, light pipe 440 may include an optical fiber, a waveguide,and/or the like. In some implementations, the multi-sensor device maynot include light pipe 440. For example, second optical detector 430 maybe provided at a surface of the multi-sensor device, in an enclosurewith first optical detector 420, and/or the like.

In some implementations, second optical detector 430 may perform ameasurement using illuminator 410. For example, first optical detector420 and second optical detector 430 may use the same illuminator, whichmay reduce size and cost of the multi-sensor device. In someimplementations, first optical detector 420 and second optical detector430 may be associated with respective illuminators. For example, firstoptical detector 420 may use illuminator 410 and second optical detector430 may use another illuminator (not shown in FIG. 4). In such a case,the other illuminator may be associated with a different spectral rangethan illuminator 410, which may improve flexibility of the multi-sensordevice.

As indicated above, FIG. 4 is provided merely as an example. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with regard to FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example environment 500 in which systemsand/or methods, described herein, may be implemented. As shown in FIG.5, environment 500 may include a control device 510, a multi-sensordevice 520, and a network 530. Devices of environment 500 mayinterconnect via wired connections, wireless connections, or acombination of wired and wireless connections.

Control device 510 includes one or more devices capable of storing,processing, and/or routing information associated with sensing. Forexample, control device 510 may include a server, a computer, a wearabledevice, a cloud computing device, and/or the like. In someimplementations, control device 510 may be associated with a particularmulti-sensor device 520. In some implementations, control device 510 maybe associated with multiple multi-sensor devices 520. In someimplementations, control device 510 may receive information from and/ortransmit information to another device in environment 500, such asmulti-sensor device 520.

Multi-sensor device 520 includes a device capable of performingcontemporaneous measurements using an optical sensor and one or moreother sensors. Multi-sensor device 520 may include an optical sensor andone or more other sensors that can perform contemporaneous measurementswhen multi-sensor device 520 is in contact with a target. In someimplementations, multi-sensor device 520 may include one or morecomponents to receive, determine and/or process measurements performedby sensors of multi-sensor device 520, such as an input/output component(e.g., an electrical input/output component for the sensors), a bus(e.g., a bus to carry sensor data), a processor to process the sensordata, and/or the like. In some implementations, multi-sensor device 520may be a handheld or wearable device or may be included in a handheld orwearable device.

Network 530 includes one or more wired and/or wireless networks. Forexample, network 530 may include a cellular network (e.g., a long-termevolution (LTE) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network,a 3G network, a 5G network, a 6G network, another type of nextgeneration network, etc.), a public land mobile network (PLMN), a localarea network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan areanetwork (MAN), a telephone network (e.g., the Public Switched TelephoneNetwork (PSTN)), a private network, an ad hoc network, an intranet, theInternet, a fiber optic-based network, a cloud computing network, or thelike, and/or a combination of these or other types of networks.

The number and arrangement of devices and networks shown in FIG. 5 areprovided as an example. In practice, there may be additional devicesand/or networks, fewer devices and/or networks, different devices and/ornetworks, or differently arranged devices and/or networks than thoseshown in FIG. 5. Furthermore, two or more devices shown in FIG. 5 may beimplemented within a single device, or a single device shown in FIG. 5may be implemented as multiple, distributed devices. Additionally, oralternatively, a set of devices (e.g., one or more devices) ofenvironment 500 may perform one or more functions described as beingperformed by another set of devices of environment 500.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of example components of a device 600. Device 600may correspond to control device 510 and/or multi-sensor device 520. Insome implementations, control device 510 and/or multi-sensor device 520may include one or more devices 600 and/or one or more components ofdevice 600. As shown in FIG. 6, device 600 may include a bus 610, aprocessor 620, a memory 630, a storage component 640, an input component650, an output component 660, and/or a communication interface 670.

Bus 610 includes a component that permits communication among thecomponents of device 600. Processor 620 is implemented in hardware,firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. Processor 620 takesthe form of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit(GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), a microprocessor, amicrocontroller, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or another type ofprocessing component. In some implementations, processor 620 includesone or more processors capable of being programmed to perform afunction. Memory 630 includes a random access memory (RAM), a read onlymemory (ROM), and/or another type of dynamic or static storage device(e.g., a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and/or an optical memory) thatstores information and/or instructions for use by processor 620.

Storage component 640 stores information and/or software related to theoperation and use of device 600. For example, storage component 640 mayinclude a hard disk (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optic disk, and/or a solid state disk), a compact disc (CD), adigital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetictape, and/or another type of non-transitory computer-readable medium,along with a corresponding drive.

Input component 650 includes a component that permits device 600 toreceive information, such as via user input (e.g., a touch screendisplay, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a switch, and/or amicrophone). Additionally, or alternatively, input component 650 mayinclude a sensor for sensing information (e.g., a global positioningsystem (GPS) component, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an actuator, anoptical sensor, and/or another form of sensor described herein). Outputcomponent 660 includes a component that provides output information fromdevice 600 (e.g., a display, a speaker, and/or one or morelight-emitting diodes (LEDs)).

Communication interface 670 includes a transceiver-like component (e.g.,a transceiver and/or a separate receiver and transmitter) that enablesdevice 600 to communicate with other devices, such as via a wiredconnection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired andwireless connections. Communication interface 670 may permit device 600to receive information from another device and/or provide information toanother device. For example, communication interface 670 may include anEthernet interface, an optical interface, a coaxial interface, aninfrared interface, a radio frequency (RF) interface, a universal serialbus (USB) interface, a Wi-Fi interface, a cellular network interface, orthe like.

Device 600 may perform one or more processes described herein. Device600 may perform these processes based on processor 620 executingsoftware instructions stored by a non-transitory computer-readablemedium, such as memory 630 and/or storage component 640. Acomputer-readable medium is defined herein as a non-transitory memorydevice. A memory device includes memory space within a single physicalstorage device or memory space spread across multiple physical storagedevices.

Software instructions may be read into memory 630 and/or storagecomponent 640 from another computer-readable medium or from anotherdevice via communication interface 670. When executed, softwareinstructions stored in memory 630 and/or storage component 640 may causeprocessor 620 to perform one or more processes described herein.Additionally, or alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in placeof or in combination with software instructions to perform one or moreprocesses described herein. Thus, implementations described herein arenot limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry andsoftware.

The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 6 are provided asan example. In practice, device 600 may include additional components,fewer components, different components, or differently arrangedcomponents than those shown in FIG. 6. Additionally, or alternatively, aset of components (e.g., one or more components) of device 600 mayperform one or more functions described as being performed by anotherset of components of device 600.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example process 700 for determining acombined measurement value using a multi-sensor device. In someimplementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 7 may be performedby a multi-sensor device (e.g., multi-sensor device 520). In someimplementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 7 may be performedby another device or a group of devices separate from or includingmulti-sensor device 520, such as control device 510.

In some implementations, a device (e.g., the multi-sensor device 520)may include an optical sensor and may include a plurality of electricalprobes provided in a housing or a barrier of the optical sensor, whereinthe device is to perform an electrical measurement using the pluralityof electrical probes when the surface of the device is in contact withthe human body, wherein the electrical measurement is to be performedsubstantially contemporaneously with the optical measurement, andwherein the device is a handheld or wearable device.

In some implementations, a handheld or wearable sensor device (e.g., themulti-sensor device 520) may include the optical sensor, wherein theoptical sensor is to perform an optical health-related measurement whena surface of the handheld or wearable sensor device is in contact with ahuman body, and may include at least one other sensor provided in abarrier or housing of the optical sensor, wherein the at least one othersensor is to perform another health-related measurement, substantiallycontemporaneously with the optical health-related measurement or with aknown time offset from the optical health-related measurement, when thesurface of the handheld or wearable sensor device is in contact with thehuman body.

As shown in FIG. 7, process 700 may include performing an opticalmeasurement using an optical sensor of the multi-sensor device, whereinthe optical measurement is performed when a surface of the multi-sensordevice is in contact with a human body (block 710). For example, themulti-sensor device (e.g., using processor 620, memory 630, inputcomponent 650, and/or the like) may perform an optical measurement usingan optical sensor of the multi-sensor device, as described above inconnection with FIGS. 1-5. In some implementations, the opticalmeasurement may be performed when a surface of the multi-sensor deviceis in contact with a human body.

As further shown in FIG. 7, process 700 may include performing anothermeasurement using at least one other sensor of the multi-sensor device,wherein the other measurement is performed when the surface of themulti-sensor device is in contact with the human body (block 720). Forexample, the multi-sensor device (e.g., using processor 620, memory 630,input component 650, and/or the like) may perform another measurementusing at least one other sensor of the multi-sensor device, as describedabove in connection with FIGS. 1-5. In some implementations, the othermeasurement may be performed when the surface of the multi-sensor deviceis in contact with the human body, the other measurement may beperformed substantially contemporaneously with the optical measurement,and the optical measurement and the other measurement may relate tohealth parameters.

As further shown in FIG. 7, process 700 may include determining acombined measurement value based on the optical measurement and theother measurement (block 730). For example, the multi-sensor device(e.g., using processor 620, memory 630, storage component 640, inputcomponent 650, and/or the like) may determine a combined measurementvalue based on the optical measurement and the other measurement, asdescribed above in connection with FIGS. 1-5.

Process 700 may include additional implementations, such as any singleimplementation or any combination of implementations described belowand/or in connection with one or more other processes describedelsewhere herein.

In some implementations, the multi-sensor device may identify a regionof interest for the other measurement using the optical measurement,where the other measurement is performed with regard to the region ofinterest. In some implementations, the optical measurement and the othermeasurement may be performed based on a time offset between the opticalmeasurement and the other measurement or a configurable time window inwhich the optical measurement and the other measurement are to beperformed.

In some implementations, performing the other measurement may be basedon the optical measurement. In some implementations, the multi-sensordevice may determine that the surface of the multi-sensor device is incontact with the human body using the at least one other sensor, andperforming the optical measurement may be based on determining that thesurface of the multi-sensor device is in contact with the human body.

In some implementations, the electrical measurement may be a hydrationmeasurement or a resistance measurement. In some implementations, thedevice may perform the optical measurement based on the electricalmeasurement. In some implementations, the device may perform the opticalmeasurement when the plurality of electrical probes are in contact withthe human body, based on a resistance determined using the plurality ofelectrical probes. In some implementations, the device may perform theelectrical measurement based on the optical measurement. In someimplementations, the barrier may be between an illuminator and anoptical detector of the optical sensor.

In some implementations, the optical sensor may be a first opticalsensor and the at least one other sensor may be a second optical sensor.In some implementations, the first optical sensor may be associated witha first spectral range, and the second optical sensor may be associatedwith a second spectral range, where the first spectral range isdifferent from the second spectral range. In some implementations, thefirst spectral range may be between approximately 400 nanometers and1100 nanometers, and the second spectral range may have a lower boundequal to or greater than approximately 2500 nanometers.

In some implementations, an optical detector of the first optical sensormay be composed of a first material, and an optical detector of thesecond optical sensor may be composed of a second material differentthan the first material. In some implementations, the optical detectorof the second optical sensor may be smaller than the optical detector ofthe first optical sensor.

In some implementations, the handheld or wearable sensor device mayinclude a light pipe to transmit light from the surface to an opticaldetector of the second optical sensor. In some implementations, thefirst optical sensor may be associated with a first illuminator and thesecond optical sensor may be associated with a second illuminatordifferent than the first illuminator. In some implementations, the atleast one other sensor may include at least one of a temperature sensor,an electrical sensor, a magnetic sensor, a microbolometer, a barometricsensor, or an elasticity sensor.

Although FIG. 7 shows example blocks of process 700, in someimplementations, process 700 may include additional blocks, fewerblocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than thosedepicted in FIG. 7. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of theblocks of process 700 may be performed in parallel.

The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to theprecise form disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made inlight of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of theimplementations.

As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construedas hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software.

Some implementations are described herein in connection with thresholds.As used herein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value beinggreater than the threshold, more than the threshold, higher than thethreshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than thethreshold, fewer than the threshold, lower than the threshold, less thanor equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, or the like,depending on the context.

Certain user interfaces have been described herein and/or shown in thefigures. A user interface may include a graphical user interface, anon-graphical user interface, a text-based user interface, or the like.A user interface may provide information for display. In someimplementations, a user may interact with the information, such as byproviding input via an input component of a device that provides theuser interface for display. In some implementations, a user interfacemay be configurable by a device and/or a user (e.g., a user may changethe size of the user interface, information provided via the userinterface, a position of information provided via the user interface,etc.). Additionally, or alternatively, a user interface may bepre-configured to a standard configuration, a specific configurationbased on a type of device on which the user interface is displayed,and/or a set of configurations based on capabilities and/orspecifications associated with a device on which the user interface isdisplayed.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods, described herein, maybe implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or acombination of hardware and software. The actual specialized controlhardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methodsis not limiting of the implementations. Thus, the operation and behaviorof the systems and/or methods described herein are without reference tospecific software code—it being understood that software and hardwarecan be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based on thedescription herein.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of various implementations. In fact,many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recitedin the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although eachdependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, thedisclosure of various implementations includes each dependent claim incombination with every other claim in the claim set.

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore,as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include one or more items(e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination of related items,and unrelated items, etc.), and may be used interchangeably with “one ormore.” Where only one item is intended, the term “only one” or similarlanguage is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,”“having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, thephrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: an optical sensor, whereinthe optical sensor is to perform an optical measurement when a surfaceof the device is in contact with a human body; and a plurality ofelectrical probes provided in a housing or a barrier of the opticalsensor, wherein the device is to perform an electrical measurement usingthe plurality of electrical probes when the surface of the device is incontact with the human body, wherein the electrical measurement is to beperformed substantially contemporaneously with the optical measurement,and wherein the device is a handheld or wearable device.
 2. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the electrical measurement is a hydrationmeasurement or a resistance measurement.
 3. The device of claim 1,wherein the device is to perform the optical measurement based on theelectrical measurement.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device isto perform the optical measurement when the plurality of electricalprobes are in contact with the human body based on a resistancedetermined using the plurality of electrical probes.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the device is to perform the electrical measurementbased on the optical measurement.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein thebarrier is between an illuminator and an optical detector of the opticalsensor.
 7. A handheld or wearable sensor device, comprising: an opticalsensor, wherein the optical sensor is to perform an opticalhealth-related measurement when a surface of the handheld or wearablesensor device is in contact with a human body; and at least one othersensor provided in a barrier or housing of the optical sensor, whereinthe at least one other sensor is to perform another health-relatedmeasurement, substantially contemporaneously with the opticalhealth-related measurement or with a known time offset from the opticalhealth-related measurement, when the surface of the handheld or wearablesensor device is in contact with the human body.
 8. The handheld orwearable sensor device of claim 7, wherein the optical sensor is a firstoptical sensor and the at least one other sensor is a second opticalsensor.
 9. The handheld or wearable sensor device of claim 8, whereinthe first optical sensor is associated with a first spectral range, andwherein the second optical sensor is associated with a second spectralrange, wherein the first spectral range is different than the secondspectral range.
 10. The handheld or wearable sensor device of claim 9,wherein the first spectral range is between approximately 400 nanometersand 1100 nanometers, and wherein the second spectral range has a lowerbound equal to or greater than approximately 2500 nanometers.
 11. Thehandheld or wearable sensor device of claim 8, wherein an opticaldetector of the first optical sensor is composed of a first material,and wherein an optical detector of the second optical sensor is composedof a second material different than the first material.
 12. The handheldor wearable sensor device of claim 11, wherein the optical detector ofthe second optical sensor is smaller than the optical detector of thefirst optical sensor.
 13. The handheld or wearable sensor device ofclaim 8, further comprising: a light pipe to transmit light from thesurface to an optical detector of the second optical sensor.
 14. Thehandheld or wearable sensor device of claim 8, wherein the first opticalsensor is associated with a first illuminator and the second opticalsensor is associated with a second illuminator different than the firstilluminator.
 15. The handheld or wearable sensor device of claim 7,wherein the at least one other sensor includes at least one of: atemperature sensor, an electrical sensor, a magnetic sensor, amicrobolometer, a barometric sensor, or an elasticity sensor.
 16. Amethod performed by a multi-sensor device, comprising: performing anoptical measurement using an optical sensor of the multi-sensor device,wherein the optical measurement is performed when a surface of themulti-sensor device is in contact with a human body; and performinganother measurement using at least one other sensor of the multi-sensordevice, wherein the other measurement is performed when the surface ofthe multi-sensor device is in contact with the human body, wherein theother measurement is performed substantially contemporaneously with theoptical measurement, and wherein the optical measurement and the othermeasurement relate to health parameters; and determining a combinedmeasurement value based on the optical measurement and the othermeasurement.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: identifyinga region of interest for the other measurement using the opticalmeasurement, wherein the other measurement is performed with regard tothe region of interest.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the opticalmeasurement and the other measurement are performed based on a timeoffset between the optical measurement and the other measurement or aconfigurable time window in which the optical measurement and the othermeasurement are to be performed.
 19. The method of claim 16, whereinperforming the other measurement is based on the optical measurement.20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: determining that thesurface of the multi-sensor device is in contact with the human bodyusing the at least one other sensor, wherein performing the opticalmeasurement is based on determining that the surface of the multi-sensordevice is in contact with the human body.